Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-29
WRITTEN FOR THE HERALD.
A HUMAN KALEIDOSCOPE.
BY BELLE MEADE SMITH.

BY BELLE MEADE SMITH.
/.
From win Grayson, at Grandview, Devon
shire, TO Philip Pendennis In London
DEAR PHIL:--As you see by th
above, | am at Grandview with Jack
The old fellow is as whimsical as ever
but equally as good.humored and hospi
table. In short, he is making things 81
pleasant for me at the present time tha
/ almost forget he is cripple. and hob
bles through life ON pair of ugly-look
ing crutches. The shooting is very fine
and l am enjoying it hugely, especially
as / am attended in my sports by jack;
sister, Miss Cecil Volmer. She is fresh
from boarding school, and is keeping
house tor him. She is extremely pretty,
with Jacks delicate features and COM
plexion, and pair Of the brightest blue
eyes it has ever been my good luck to
gaze into. She is, moreover, merry and
winsome, and with her songs, her laugh
and her almost childlike animation, she is
making my visit here like glimpse into
paradise. You know how detest senti.
mental, dignified or stilted women, and
you can imagine when / tell you that |
am charmed by Miss Cecil's society, that
she is the incarnation of sunshine.
am deeply in love with her, and l half
believe that if she has not already done
so, she will respond to my devotion. l
presume Jack is in her confidence. They
are very much attached to each other,
and are congenial in their associations;
but he will not give me bit of encour-
agement. He does not throw cold
water upon my suit, but whenever l
question him upon the subject with the
bankest face in the world, he commends
me to Cecil. You old book.worm, you.
| wish you were here to see and read
the girl for yourself. l depend so much
upon your insight into things, that if
could hear your opinion OF her, l
should feel more at ease. l don't
mean to say that anything unfavorable
you might say of her would in any way
alter my opinion; but depend SO much
upon your mind reading proclivity that
should, upon your decision, base my
hopes Of success.
P.S. 1t is all over, and in an hour
Start for Italy, where intend to spend
the remainder of the summer. Last
night proposed to her, and to my sur
prise was rejected. Hard, isn't it?
Let me hear from you as soon as pos
sble, and when you write address me at
Rome.
II.
From Lewis Marvin at Grandview, Devon
shire, to Philip Pendenn's in London.
DEAR PHIL:-I did not expect 10 come
to Grandview this season, but as VIII
could not stay, and Jack will not, it he
can help it, remain alone; at his request
brought my brushes and my portfolio
here, about a fortnight ago. Before 1
landscape painting, but l have changed
my plans, and instead am doing head.
My subject is Jacks youngest sister,
Cecil. shall call my portrait of her
Meditation, and shall exhibit it as a
fancy sketch. She is not emotional or
sentimental. She seems cold, but is not
repellant or unwomanly. She impresss
me as being very ethereal. Ii it was not
for her tenderness to Jack, should say
she was incapable OF human love, and
that her soul was so vast, that
it could only find companionship
in the intellectual. She paints and
sketches cleverly, and is wrapped up in
art, which she discusses intelligently.
She is patient model. She will sit for
hours, with her far.away gray eyes fixed
on space, and her shapely head bent at
my will. She never seems to tire, no
matter how long l require her to remain
in one position. If | can coax her to
share my lot, shall, like Pgymalion,
have but one model. She seems TO en-
Joy talking to me, and am sure she is
impressed with my profession, if not
with me. Still, do not know how deep
her interest may be, and Jack, who is
her confdante, will not enlighten me.
Will Grayson fell in love with her, and
asked her to become his wife; but he
went away disappointed. No one who
knows them both could anticipate diff
ferent result. The antipodes are not
farther apart than our light-hearted
olassmare aud my statuesque model. l
dare not think of the future. | feel that
to live without her would be to live
without my nobler self, while to con-
ceive of winning her is presumption.
Oh, thai /, like Pygmalion, could tear
aside the veil which obscures her
humanity and breathe life and love into
my OAidItds III Ouf SueO thChO Wcuio
be no jealous wife to come home and
make row. Have you ever pictured
to yourself, Vitoro Colona? l never did,
until met Cecil Now l can realize
the magic power of the woman whom
Michael Angeles love made immortal.
As you know | have avoided wedlock,
and have believed that affection and
fame were incompatible. | still hold
the same opinion, modified TO suit this
particular case. If l cannot marry
Cecil, l shall continue to live alone. l
vow this to you and her. l shall never
forswear my devotion to the ideal, or
lower my standard of companionship.
III.
From Will Grayson, at Rome, to Philip
Pendennis in London.
DEAR PHIL:-I was glad to receive
Lew into my solitude few days ago.
Like myself he has come to Rome in
the hope of forgetting Cecil. But do
him injustice. He asserts that he does
not wish to forget her; and to keep her
ever before his mind he is painting
portrait of her. must say that from an
artistic standpoint the picture is faultless,
but according to my impression of her,
it does not represent Miss Volmer at all.
The head he is painting has her features,
her complexion and her hair; but it also
has pensive gray, instead of laughing
blue eyes, aud an expression as foreign
to her bright face as bangs
or spit curls would be foreign
to the face of the Madonna. |
have not forgotten how Cecil looked
and spoke and acted. wish to heaven
] could. / am positive Marvin has
allowed the ideal to run away with the
material in thus portraying her. He
says l have not understood her; but
say that he, not l, have formed an
incorrect opinion of her. At all events,
he looks like ghost, and l look like the
shadow of ghost, and all because, he
says, of pair of gray eyes, and l say,
of pair of blue eyes. Won't you
oblige me by going to Grandview and
deciding for me whether Cecil is
L